Shrine to ‘Our Lady of the Parkway’ in Pittsburgh receives historic designation
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The Shrine of the Blessed Mother, often called “Our Lady of the Parkway” because of its location overlooking the Parkway East from a South Oakland hilltop, received historic designation by Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday.
The Shrine was created in the mid-20th century and blessed in September 1956. Though not considered an official shrine of the Catholic Church, has been maintained by the community’s faithful. It consists of an altar, various planted flowers, walkways and benches, spreading across multiple land parcels and maintained unofficially by area residents.
Council voted Tuesday morning to designate the Shrine of the Blessed Mother as a historic structure.
Councilman Ricky Burgess was the lone dissenter.
The Shrine is on land owned by the Catholic Church and claimed the church did not approve of the designation, Burgess said.
He called the resolution “the clever scheme to seize the property rights of the Catholic Church.”
The Shrine was nominated for the designation by Preservation Pittsburgh, in partnership with Councilman Bruce Kraus.
Ellen Mady, a spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, previously told the Tribune-Review that the Church does not own the land discussed by the city’s Planning Commission, but does own the central plot of land where the Shrine is located. The diocese did not immediately return calls for comment on Tuesday.